


After a Decade

by uvonovae



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, Hiroshi sucks, Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-08 06:41:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11641077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uvonovae/pseuds/uvonovae
Summary: Asami’s heart leapt up to her throat the instant she heard that familiar voice. She couldn’t believe it.Stopping abruptly she turned around and saw none other than Korra, standing with her phone in hand, looking at Asami with an almost comical expression of disbelief.Korra, with her blue eyes, torn jeans and worn out converse shoes. Korra, her best friend for years, the person who meant the most to her outside of her own family....Ten years is a long time for things to change, and coming back to her childhood home gives Asami a silver lining she thought was out of reach.





	1. Back Home

**Author's Note:**

> First: thank you to everyone who still reads my fics and leaves comments. I read them all and they mean the world to me T_T  
> Second: Sorry for the long absence, and I AM still finishing my old fics! Mid 2016 my laptop broke down and I lost everything, most notably almost 8 chapters of Zero to Sixty and all the chapter artwork I'd done for them. It goes without saying that loosing that much work really turned me off from wanting to pick it all up from scratch but I am. Always back up your hard drives lol.  
> That being said this is a fic i started writing in my notebook while i was at work, so it was the only fic of mine that didn't get lost in the laptop purge. Enjoy~

[](http://imgur.com/aV3c854)

 

Downing one last shot of espresso, Asami decided it would be for the best to join her father above deck, no matter how seasick it would most likely make her. About two hours ago when he’d unceremoniously woken her to “get out on the water before sunrise!” she’d explained to him, bleary eyed and irritated as hell, that she hadn’t been out on open water for years and that she was pretty sure she’d get sick.

“Pretty sure” was an understatement to soften what she was sure her father would take as a harsh blow – she knew 100% that being woken up abruptly at 4 am to go boating was not going to sit well with her. He laughed her off, literally, which didn’t much help her mood. She couldn’t help the instant hot spark of anger at the ease in which he was able to summon even a halfhearted laugh at a time like this.

And morning boating?

She and her father might not have been on exactly ideal terms over the past few years, but she knew him well enough to know he was grasping at straws when it came to her. They hadn’t gone boating in…what must’ve been fourteen years.  
That thought quickly chased away and replaced it with a silent half-hearted pity. She hadn’t thought of the last boat ride with her father in a long time, and she didn’t want to start just then.

She humored him, of course, and sure enough found herself huddled under the deck of her father’s new boat, bundled under layers and drinking way too much espresso in the hopes that it’d jolt her awake enough to put on a good face. The best face she could, under the circumstances.

She pushed the espresso cup aside and shoved her hands in her pockets, steeling herself with the knowledge that this morning would not last forever, and eventually her father would come to his senses and realize that trying to replicate her childhood and their old lives together via early morning boating wasn’t helping her through the grieving process.  
Even after two days adjusting to the difference in time zones she was still jetlagged beyond all reason, and this little boat excursion was most likely the last thing she needed.

Sure enough just before she moved to slide off her stool and onto the floor, the boat gave a sudden lurch, almost flooring her.

Gripping her stomach she had the feeling that maybe the espresso shots weren’t a good idea if she was worried about getting seasick.

_We’ve been out on the water not even ten minutes and I’m already ready for this to be over…_

“Asami? Are you alright down there?” her father yelled from above board, his voice barely audible.

“Fine” she murmured, straightening up and running a slightly shaky hand through her hair.

No point in avoiding him any longer. She knew the whole point of this little excursion was so they could be alone to talk, which wasn’t necessarily a bad idea or something Asami didn’t want, but the time and location were less than desirable.  
Opening the door and walking up the short staircase Asami was overwhelmed with the smell of the ocean, a scent she used to find refreshing and familiar now just seemed…fishy and gross.

She wasn’t sure why that of all things made her feel ‘homesick’ for her childhood when she and her parents were still a family.

“Asami, come sit over here next to me. The view’s better from here.”

Approaching the booth seats next to the helm of the sailboat, Asami felt a sense of anxiety she was surprised she hadn’t felt earlier. She hadn’t had a legitimate conversation with her father in years, and she didn’t even know where to begin with him. The atmosphere was anything but casual despite his awkward efforts to make it feel that way, and she had the feeling this was going to end up another one of those faux-genuine halting conversations about how she was doing in school or what direction he was thinking of taking Future Industries.

The whole thing made her feel uncomfortable, preparing for more fake closeness with a man she definitely wasn’t close to.

“I thought it would be a little easier for us to have a talk out on the water, like we used to. When you were a little girl.”

His speech was a little rushed, and she could tell he was tense. She felt a little sorry for him, but not as much as she probably should have. The entire trip was his idea in the first place.  
“I…I know we haven’t really talked about it – what happened to your mother–“  
Groaning internally Asami closed her eyes, letting the cold morning air wash over her, wishing the sounds of the gulls and the waves would drown her father out. It’d been two days and he was still saying “your mother” this and “your mother” that, not even bothering to mention her by name. She wasn’t sure why he was doing this, it felt so cold and formal…she knew her parents weren’t successful couple by any means but did he really feel so little for her to refer to her how he was?

Or was she reading him wrong, warping his intentions to fit her view of him? 

_No way to know unless I ask…and I really don’t want to right now._

“She was a good woman. A great woman. I didn’t deserve her, and now she’s gone…I only wish I could’ve been there when – well when she…passed.”

Asami opened her eyes and looked him straight in the face (as well as she could when he was still staring straight out ahead over the helm) and wanted dearly to raise her voice at him.

“You wanted to be there, really? You knew she was sick, you knew for _months_ that she was getting worse and she wasn’t going to make it, and all you could muster was a check for a few thousand dollars and a card with your ‘condolences’? No phone call or even a visit until almost a week after she died, and you wanted to be there?”

…Is what she wanted to say. Is what she wanted to scream at him until he gave some indication, some kind of reason for his complete and utter avoidance of the situation.

It wasn’t easy for her, to sit by and watch her mother die.

As far apart as she and her father had grown, she still wanted him by her side. She wanted him to be there for her when she had to be there for her mother. And even though she never said it, Asami was sure her mother wanted him there too.

But, of course, he wasn’t.

“It was difficult; there were a lot of things going on with the company that made it hard for me to step away – I know it doesn’t seem like much of a reason for me to have been as distant as I was but – well…I don’t know. I’m sorry Asami. And I wish I could apologize to her.”

“But you’ll never get the chance” Asami said quietly, noting the twitch of his lower lip when she did.

_You’ll never get the chance to spew your fake apologies and I’ll never see her again. So I guess we both loose._

Glancing out over the port bow she almost did a double take at what she saw – an old tiny island she’d seen and been to many times before when she was a kid. It was like her little hideout, and she hadn’t even thought about it in years.  
As they passed the island she remembered suddenly that the last time she set foot there was about nine or so years ago, with Korra.

It was strange, thinking about Korra now after what must’ve been…months…maybe a year or so. There was a time when the two of them were best friends, especially after her parents divorced, and if she’d gone back in time and told her twelve year old self she'd go so long without even thinking of Korra she wouldn’t have believed it.

It brought back a rather nice feeling, kind of like a warm blanket, thinking about the two of them when they were younger, how they said they’d always stay in touch and always be friends, even get a house together and throw parties with their friends.

Things changed, of course, but still….

She wondered if Korra was still in town. If it wouldn’t be weird to show up out of the blue for the first time in years to see her again.

“Asami, I took you out here today because….well aside from what I just said, I have something else I need to tell you. Something I should’ve told you a long time ago but there just wasn’t ever a time to.”

Her father’s voice cut through her thoughts and brought her back to the present, sitting out in the cold air and smelly ocean, and her heart skipped a beat with trepidation at whatever it was he had to say next. His tone seemed deliberate, almost rehearsed, like she used to see him do before big meetings, standing in front of the mirror.  
She tucked away the thought of trying to look Korra up and braced herself for the immediate problem. Whatever he wanted to get off his chest probably wasn’t something good.

“So when your mother and I divorced eight years ago –“

“Ten.”

“I’m sorry?”

“It’s been ten years. I was twelve.”

“Oh. Yes, ten. I’d…gotten the dates mixed up.”

He paused then, glancing over at her briefly before looking back out over the ocean. It must’ve been almost an entire minute before he spoke again, clearing his throat loudly.

“She never told you why, I’m guessing. Why we ended things the way we did.”

Asami said nothing but shook her head, wondering what the hell he was trying to get to. She never asked her mother why the divorce happened, all she was told is that they “fell out of love” which Asami never really questioned or gave a second thought to. Her memories of her parents’ relationship, at least what she saw of it, seemed to align perfectly with two people who fell out of love. There was never any direct hostility from them, but she knew her parents enough to realize that something wasn’t right anymore.

“Well there’s no easy way to say it so I’ll just be honest. I was involved in – well I had an affair with my assistant. It wasn’t something I meant to happen but it did, and your mother found out about it and we tried to still make it work but…it didn’t. I’m sorry.”

He fell silent, glancing over at Asami again, with some kind of “please forgive me” expression.

She said nothing for what felt like hours, working the words he just spoke over and over again in her mind.

Affair? His assistant?

“How long were you having an affair with that woman?”

“Too long.”

“How long is ‘too long’? ‘Too long’ can mean anything from a few days to years. How long were you doing this?”  
He fell silent again, shifting uncomfortably on his feet and frowning in a way that made Asami’s blood boil. He had the audacity to feel uncomfortable laying his shit out on the table? The nerve to admit to her he’d been cheating on her mother?

“No wonder you never showed up when she was dying. You didn’t care enough about her to stay faithful, you didn’t care enough about her to even see her last days alive” she said with shaking breath, feeling all the anger she’d felt at him before bubbling right back up to the surface.

“Asami! I am your father and you won’t speak to me this way. I know you’re upset but you have to respect me-“

“You’re telling me to respect you after admitting you were going behind my mother’s back with someone else? Really?”  
A faint, shaky laugh escaped her lips before she shuddered and buried her face in her hands, trying to process what was happening. She never expected this. Her father wasn’t the best man he could be but this…

“How long were you seeing this woman, dad? Did you stop when mom found out?”

Frowning, he continued to stare out at the water, pursing his lips and saying nothing.

“Did you stop? What the hell, dad, you can’t just bring this up and then clam up!”

 

“Asami, you…don’t swear at me. I mean it.”

“How long?”

“I did break it off after your mother found out. I did. I wanted to make things right with her so I fired my assistant and tried to move on.”

“…Tried to? Oh _no,_ dad…”

“I didn’t see her again for months, but things just happened –“

“Months, that’s it? You took months off of cheating on my mother and destroying out family?”

Her father said nothing, just hung his head slightly and sighed, a sound that was washed out by the sounds of the waves.  
Minutes went by and the two of them remained in silence before Asami stood up to return below deck. She needed to get away from him. Why did he have to tell her this now, when they were stuck out on the ocean together? Why couldn’t he had just thrown this at her when she had to leave to go back to school in the next few days? Why was he such a piece of crap?

“Asami wait” he called, turning to look over his shoulder again, "I’m not done.”

Asami stopped, her hand on the railing of the stairs, not bothering to face him. If she had known this is what he had in mind for the morning she would’ve told him to fuck off and gone back to sleep.

She had no idea how she was going to get through the next three days.

“She's leaving me for good and she’s taken a job at Cabbage Corp. She has…a lot of information about the company, about Future Industries, and she’s made it more than clear she’s telling them what she knows. I don’t know what’s going to happen from here, so I –“

Asami went down the stairs, slamming the door behind her and sincerely wishing it had a lock. Blinking back tears she sat down on the carpet with her back against the door, wrapping her arms around her knees.

She felt a huge wave of guilt for never knowing what her mother went through. She was suffering through the fact that her husband was unfaithful for what must’ve been a huge portion of their relationship. She found out he was cheating and tried to make it work? Why? Because she loved him that much or because she wanted to keep the family together for Asami’s sake?

Sliding her phone out of her pocket she checked the time, and not even an hour had gone by since they’d gotten out on the water and she wanted nothing more than to go back to school and away from her father.

Closing her eyes she tried to push aside what she just learned, instead remembering nine years ago, her and her best friend laying on the gravelly ground of that tiny little ocean, saying their goodbyes and watching the waves go by.

 

* * *

 

  
Little by little Asami gathered the strength to get up out of bed and get some water; her mouth was dry and she had a pounding headache as soon as she woke up. She’d spent the entire day in her room, only leaving to get herself some food, and refused her father’s invitation to come to the dining room and eat dinner with him.

Tofu stir fry, heavy on the bok choy - her mother’s favorite.

Later on in the night when she crept into the kitchen to bring what was left up to her room it made her deeply annoyed and angry that now of all time’s he’d be cooking that meal. She was a little surprised he even remembered how much her mother loved that dish, or if it was just a coincidence.

He didn’t try speaking with her at all once they’d arrived back home aside to ask her to come out for dinner, and she was glad for it. Asami couldn’t stand the sight of his face, not when the memory of her dying mother was still fresh, knowing her father had been up to what he’d been up to behind her back for years.

Groggily stepping out of her room she smoothed her hair back, glancing around and keeping an ear out for signs he was awake. It wasn’t too early, about eight o’clock, but from what she remembered her father had a habit of early rising and she wasn’t in the mood to deal with him.

She knew she had to speak to him some time, she couldn’t stay in the house with him for three more days ignoring him, but she needed some coffee before dealing with…all of that.

Sure enough as she stepped into the kitchen he was there, scrolling through his tablet laid out on the countertop. Out of the corner of her eye she could see him look up at her, a glance she didn’t acknowledge or return as she moved to prepare a pot of coffee.

“Oh. I didn’t know you drank coffee. You used to hate it so much.”

“I’m not eight anymore.”

Had she not known what she did then about her father’s infidelity she would’ve regretted speaking so bluntly to him, but she was a bit past caring about that.

“Yes. Of course.”

Filling up the coffee maker with water, Asami pulled a mug out of the cabinet and turned to leave the room before her father asked her to wait.  
“I’m leaving to head to a meeting with…with the CEO of Cabbage Corp. I won’t be back for a while, so feel free to use the house however you want, invite some friends over or…anything you want.”

“Thanks.”

Not saying another word she left to get dressed for the day, counting down the minutes before finally hearing him step outside and lock the door.

“Ugh. Thank goodness…”

As mad as she was at him, it was still draining and awkward to be in his presence. A small part of her had kind of hoped that this visit would make things a little better between the two of them but now she was fairly certain that wasn’t in the cards anymore.

She finished her coffee, ate some buttered toast and began to pace around the old house, looking at all the photographs still up on the walls from years before. Looking at them then she wondered how her father could manage to put up such fake smiles for the cameras.

She noticed there were a few more pictures of her mother up on the walls than there were the last time she’d been in the house.

_Did he put these up because I’m visiting? Did he put them up long before I came back?…How can he stand to look at her face after what he did?_

Her headache was gone but she didn’t necessarily feel any better. She felt lonely in that house, pacing around places she’d made memories with her mother. And seeing her father’s things all over the place did nothing to quell her mood.

Being alone in the house was depressing, and she’d forgotten to ask for the wifi password and didn’t really feel like texting her father to ask.

After a little bit she decided to walk around the town, and maybe rent a rowboat to get out to that tiny little island she saw yesterday morning, for old time’s sake. Couldn’t hurt to be surrounded by some more pleasant memories.

The trip into town was short; her old bike was still in the garage and surprisingly well maintained. She probably would need to stop by a gas station to fill up the tires a bit more but all in all it was in fine enough shape to ride to town and back. It was a little bizarre to see how much things had changed; it was never a small town but she never remembered it being so busy. A few new buildings had popped up, including a shopping mall she considered stopping in before remembering she didn’t bring a bike lock (she remembered with a small smile how when she was a kid, maybe seven or eight, when her first bike had been stolen after she’d left it propped up outside the library).

Asami missed her hometown but some of the memories were more painful than anything to think about. As she walked her bike down the sidewalk towards the park she thought again about trying to look up Korra. The only option was to check and see if she still lived in the same house, which…seemed a little awkward to do. They hadn’t spoken in years so showing up unannounced could be weird. There was also the possibility Korra had moved, maybe even out of the area entirely, so it wouldn’t –

“Holy shit. Asami?”

Asami’s heart leapt up to her throat the instant she heard that familiar voice. She couldn’t believe it.  
Stopping abruptly she turned around and saw none other than Korra, standing with her phone in her hand and her other hand holding a plastic shopping bag, looking at her with an almost comical expression of disbelief.  
Korra, with her blue eyes, torn jeans and worn out converse shoes. Korra, Asami’s best friend for years, the person who meant the most to her outside of her own family.

“Holy shit! Uh, hold on dude I’ll call you back” she said into her phone before pocketing it and striding over towards Asami with an absolutely adorable grin on her face.

Old memories and feelings hit Asami like a ton of bricks – she had no idea how much she’d missed the other girl until she saw her then, walking over to her with her arms out for a hug like it was first nature.

It was so familiar, yet so strange at the same time; this was Korra’s head resting on her shoulder, Korra’s warm grip around her…Asami had been so wrapped up in anxieties about dealing with seeing her father again after years she hadn’t even considered the possibility of running into Korra.

Not until yesterday morning.

“I – hi? This is so weird I was just thinking about you” Asami said, smiling like an idiot. Was this real? Was this happening? Was the universe finally giving her some good luck after the past few shitty months?

“I missed you so much” Korra said finally, squeezing Asami gently, “I can’t believe it’s actually you! What’s it been, like ten years?”  
“Yeah, something like that” Asami said quietly, returning the hug briefly before pulling away, tucking her hair back behind her ear.

Looking at her then Asami could see how little Korra had changed. She was barely any taller than Asami remembered, but her hair was definitely shorter. It was a good look.

“This is awesome!” Korra said again, reaching out and playfully nudging Asami’s arm, “I totally thought I’d never see you again! What is this, why are you here? Are you moving back?” she asked, eyes shining with excitement. It was almost silly to Asami how good it felt seeing her again. Her smile especially.

“You look so good too, wow…imagine that, me running into you on the street when I’m in a thrown together jeans and t-shirt deal and you with your designer clothes…I feel a little under dressed.”

“No, you look really good” Asami blurted, immediately blushing and feeling like she was thirteen years old again. “I mean…it suits you. I think you look nice.”

“Aw, thanks” Korra said, folding her arms across her chest in an all-too-familiar way.  
“Yeah of course…I mean, no problem. I guess. I don’t really know what I’m saying right now I’m so surprised.”

She saw Korra look her up and down, lingering a bit, and felt a bit of color return to her cheeks. She felt like she was getting checked out, by Korra of all people.  
That thought brought back the memory of the last time the two of them were together before Asami moved away all those years ago, holding hands and huddled close together.

She’d wondered then, too, if there was something else in the way Korra looked at her.

“I’m not keeping you here am I – do you have somewhere you need to be, or - ?”

“Oh no! No I don’t have any plans at all. My dad’s gone for the day and I have nothing to do, I was just wandering around.”

“Sweet! You wanna head back to my place? I think my mom’s still home; she might go crazy seeing you again but she should give us some privacy. If you want.”

“Yeah! Yeah great! I was actually thinking about stopping by your place to see if you still lived there.”

“Awesome, let’s do it! This is gonna be great. I still can’t believe this! I’m glad my mom sent me out to shopping, I really didn’t feel like getting up and leaving the house. I’d have been _so_ pissed if I missed out on seeing you again.”

The walk back to Korra’s house was a long one but it was great. She pointed out some of the new additions to the town and they laughed over old memories Asami hadn’t thought about in years. A few years after she moved away and the two of them had started to fall out of contact there were times Asami wanted to reach out to her again but felt it’d be awkward to do after so much time had passed, no matter how close they were.

It was really nice to see now how wrong that was.

“Remember when we stole a cigarette from your dad and tried to smoke it behind the middle school gym? That was fun.”

“How was that fun, it tasted horrible and we got caught. I was grounded for weeks” Asami said with a smile, remembering the look of shock and disgust on Korra’s face as she inhaled her one and only puff of whatever brand of cigarette her father used to smoke.  
She wondered vaguely if he even still smoked.

“It was fun to see you all red in the face and wheezing” Korra said coyly, nudging Asami on the arm. “I’m pretty sure if you weren’t hacking so loud we could’ve gotten away with it.”

“And if we did? Would you have smoked any more of it?”

“Hell no. That shit was so gross.”

Laughing, Asami still could barely believe it. Of all the things that could’ve happened that day, running into Korra was the best. It was almost enough to drive away the thoughts of the previous morning, and the thought of having to sit down and hash it out with her father eventually before she left.

“Well alright. This is me” Korra said as they approached a blue and white house with a fenced in yard – definitely not the same place she used to live in.

“Glad you didn’t just randomly show up at my old place? And freak out whoever it is that lives there now?”

“Yeah a little” Asami said sheepishly, feeling embarrassed for some reason. It was so great how they managed to kind of…pick up where they left off years ago, and she didn’t want to ruin it.

Even though she didn’t feel like there was much she could do to ruin it; Korra looked just as happy to see her.  
Korra unlocked the door and stepped aside with a sweeping gesture to let Asami in first before calling out for her mother.

“Hey mom! I got those cheesy croissant things you wanted, you should come grab ‘em.”

“What? Just put them on the counter, I’m busy” her mom yelled from upstairs. It was a strange feeling, hearing the sound of Korra’s mother’s voice. She was practically like a second mother to her, and she had helped Asami’s mom so much after the divorce…Asami wasn’t expecting to have such an emotional response to just the sound of her voice.

“ _Mom!_ Just come down here, quick! It’s an emergency!”

_“What?”_

“Hurry!”

Asami couldn’t help but smile seeing Korra grin as the sounds of shuffling and movement came from upstairs as her mother no doubt thought there was something serious going on.

Asami remembered at least three or four times she’d rushed back to Korra’s house when they were out playing, telling her parents how Korra had sprained her ankle falling out of a tree or cut herself climbing over a fence.  
She had a pretty good feeling Korra’s penchant for roughhousing didn’t end in her childhood years, the way her mother was so quick to scramble upon hearing “it’s an emergency”.

“She’s totally gonna freak” Korra whispered as her mom came into view moving quickly down the stairs, holding the railing for balance.  
Her look of confusion melted away instantly as she saw Korra and Asami standing in the doorway to the kitchen, Asami waving somewhat awkwardly.

“Asami?” she asked, eyebrows raising, and it was just…so charming to see how much she still looked like Korra. She was still the same as what Asami had remembered.

“Hi! Long time no see, right?” Asami said, approaching her for a hug.

“I can’t believe it! Korra didn’t mention you were coming back! Are you back in town for good?”  
Once they pulled apart Asami saw Korra’s inquisitive expression at the question, and remembered she’d forgotten to answer before when Korra asked.

“Oh no, I’m not; I’m just here visiting my dad for a bit. I have to get back to school on Monday.”

“That’s a shame!” Korra’s mom replied, resting her hands on Asami’s shoulders, “we’ve really missed you around here. Korra could use a good influence like you.”

“Good influence? _She’s_ the one who had the idea to smoke cigarettes behind the school” Korra murmured, walking into the kitchen.

“You’re bringing that up? Was she also the one who decided to take your father’s car on a joyride and crash it, too?”

“What?” Asami asked, glancing back into the kitchen, seeing Korra set the plastic bag she was carrying down on the countertop.

“You stole your dad’s car?”

“I didn’t _steal_  it I – what is this, why are we talking about this, it’s stupid.”  
Rolling her eyes, Korra’s mom took her arms off Asami’s shoulders and gave her another quick hug, kissing her on the top of the head like she did when Asami was little.

“It’s great to see you again Asami, even if you’re only here for a little while. I’m sure Korra’s happy to see you too” she said with a smile.

“Mom! I thought you were busy?”

“I am, but you're the one who called me down here, remember? But I’ll leave you two alone. Have fun catching up girls.”

Korra’s mom gave Asami one last quick smile before heading back up the stairs, telling them not to make too much noise as she’d be working for another few hours.

Asami felt like she had stepped back in time, walking into Korra’s house and talking so casually like it hadn’t been years since they’d spoken. It was the best she’d felt since everything happened with her mother.

“So my room’s downstairs in the basement. It’s a little cold but I have all the privacy I want, and a little fridge too. I have some beers in there too, if you drink.”

“Korra it’s not even noon. Why would I want to drink?”

“I didn’t mean now I meant later tonight after dinner – if you want to stay that long I mean” she continued, running her fingers through her hair in what looked very much like a nervous gesture.

“Oh! Oh, sure. If it’s not going to be a problem.”

“No way, why would it be a problem? When my best friend shows up out of the blue I want to hang as long as we can. I really missed you Asami.”

The tenderness in her voice was enough to make Asami’s heart flutter. Just that morning she was preparing herself for three nightmarish days alone with her father, and now for this to happen was just…almost too great. It was childish, maybe, but she kind of felt like her running into Korra like this was her mom’s way of looking out for her.

“I missed you too.”

Korra looked like she wanted to say something else but turned away to begin walking down the staircase, warning Asami that some of the steps felt a little loose but wouldn’t give way.  
“At least I don’t think they will. They haven’t yet.”

“That’s…reassuring I guess.”  
Once they reached the landing Korra opened her door flicked the light switch on and Asami was genuinely surprised at what she saw. The basement was huge, carpeted, and looked a whole lot nicer than she expected upon hearing “basement bedroom”.

There were curtains blocking off what she guessed what Korra’s bed, and a pretty large four person couch facing a TV and some gaming systems, complete with a mess of either DVDs or games scattered all over the TV stand.  
“Oh wow this looks…really nice. Your parents really let you have all this down here to yourself?”

“Well yeah, the room I used to stay in is my mom’s office now, and we really never used the basement before anyway. I mean there’s some stuff boxed away down here but that aside it’s all mine. It’s not much but I like it.”

“Not much? This is great, I’m a little jealous.”

“Really? With that big ass house you live in, you’re jealous of my hole in the ground?”

“I’m not living in a big place, I live in a cramped dorm room with a girl who snores and leaves dirty dishes laying around. So yeah, I’m a little jealous.”

“Well wait till it gets into nighttime and the cold sets in. We’ll see if you’re still jealous then.”

Asami opened her mouth to say something but stopped immediately at the sight of Korra slipping off her hoodie and tossing it on the back of the couch facing the outdated tube TV.  
Earlier Asami had thought Korra hadn’t changed much at all aside from her new short hair but she was definitely wrong about that.  
Aside from her jeans Korra was wearing a rather low-cut black tanktop, rather nicely highlighting her adult body.  
To say she looked good was an understatement.

Korra had always been athletic, but looking at her then it was glaringly obviously she worked out what must’ve been daily to achieve the muscle tone she had. Last time they were together she definitely wasn’t as…toned.

“What? What’s wrong?” Korra asked, smiling as she caught Asami looking at her with what was probably a really stupid expression on her face.

“Nothing” Asami said quickly, feeling her face flush, “it’s just…aren’t you cold in that? Down here in the basement?”

“Nah, the cold doesn’t bother me, you know that. I’m good till it starts getting really late, then you might catch me changing into something a little warmer.”

Asami had the image of Korra pulling her top up over her head and tossing it aside, and wondered what she’d look like and what kind of bra she’d be wearing before flushing even deeper red and turning around to “get a look around”, her heart stuttering in her chest like she was a teenager.

_Oh my goodness. Okay. Calm down_ , she thought, clearing her throat and trying to rid herself of the image of shirtless grinning Korra to no avail. Honestly, she felt like a hormonal kid again, thinking like that.  
_Can’t really blame myself though I mean….wow._

“Not really much to look at, it’s pretty bare down here. I moved down here a month or so ago but I’ve been too lazy to put my posters and stuff up. Decorating’s not really my forte.”

Asami nodded absentmindedly, moving to sit on the couch and maybe watch some TV, anything to keep her distracted from Korra. She couldn’t help but steal glances at her and see the way her muscles shifted as she moved…

_I can’t believe this. Today has been a million times better than I thought it’d be._

_There's a bit of nostalgia to this_ , she thought with a smile, her stealing admiring glances at Korra like she was.

She never mentioned it, but she did used to have a bit of a crush on Korra when they were younger. Well, maybe “huge crush” would be a better way to put it. She wasn’t really sure when it started but by the time she was twelve and moving out of town with her mother. It was heartbreaking.

She almost confessed on the last night they spent together out on that shoddy little island out in the cold before heading back into town. She remembered the agony of wanting to kiss her goodbye and tell her she liked her, really liked her and wanted to know if Korra thought that way too. There were times when she did genuinely wonder if there was a chance Korra did feel the same, but it was too hard to tell. Korra was an open person, and nice to pretty much everyone, even if it did feel like she was particularly soft with Asami. But when it came right down to it Asami said nothing because she was too scared to do it.

If Korra said no it’d be bad enough if they were just “regular friends” but there was no way she could run the risk of losing her dearest and closest friend.

She couldn’t believe how long it’d been since she thought about this.

As the two of them spent time catching up, Korra told the story of how she and some of her friends had taken her dad’s car “for a drive” and ended up driving into some mailboxes and into a shallow ditch a few streets down.  
“It was me and – you remember Mako? And his little brother Bo?”

“Of course. Mako was in chess club with me.”

“Holy crap I forgot about that! I seriously forgot about that” Korra said laughing, “I forgot he was such a nerd! I gotta bring that up next time I see him.”

“Um excuse me? I assume I’m a nerd too then?”

“Yeah. Anyway it was a little bit before I got my license, but I kinda lied and told Mako and Bo I’d gotten it already but didn’t want them to see it because the picture was embarrassing. No way Mako would’ve gone with it if he knew I was lying; he’s always been a stickler like that. Anyway long story short I had no idea how to work a stick shift and we didn’t get far before uh…settling into the ditch. My dad was pissed; I wasn’t even allowed to get my license till I was eighteen. I complained about it but all in all the punishment wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.”

It was beyond endearing to sit and watch Korra as she talked and talked about everything she’d been up to in the past years. She’d joined the high school soccer team before quitting out because of “disagreements” with the coach and joined the rowing team instead, “which is where I got these awesome guns” she cooed, flexing playfully.

Instantly Asami’s earlier fantasies came rushing back, this time with her admiring and feeling Korra’s arms, wondering if her thighs were just as toned….

Oh no.

“Do you have any water in your little fridge, I – I’m a little thirsty” Asami said, cringing inwardly at her choice of words.

“Uh, no but there’s sports drinks. Pretty much the same” Korra said, reaching for the remote to turn the TV on.

“Yeah, pretty much” Asami said jokingly as she got up off the couch and walked over to the mini fridge, heart feeling like it was going to pound right through her chest. The thought crossed her mind – did she still have a crush on Korra? She thought she’d gotten over it, it’d been years since they’d even spoke and months since Asami had thought back on their time together but now she felt like the feelings hadn’t gone away at all.

Opening the fridge she did see a six pack of beer nestled in the side and wondered if it was worth it to maybe…get a little tipsy and say everything she couldn’t say before.

_But what would I even say? Hey it’s been almost a decade since we’ve seen each other but I used to have a huge crush on you? Maybe I still do? And I have to leave to go back to school in the next few days so it doesn’t matter anyway?_

_I don’t even know if she’s single…_

Settling back dow on the couch next to Korra, Asami’s mind was racing with excitement. Why shouldn’t she tell Korra that she used to have a crush on her? No real harm done since she was leaving soon anyway, so if Korra was weirded out or whatever it wouldn’t be so awkward. She didn’t take Korra for the type to do anything but nicely let her down if it came to that, which was a bit of a comfort.

_But what if she doesn’t get weirded out? What if she used to feel the same way? What if she_ still does _feel the same way?_

The flutter of excitement in her chest grew tenfold at the thought – what if she could spend the next few days here in Korra’s room, kissing and hiding away from the world until time was up and Asami had to go back to school?

The rest of the night up until dinner the thought bounced around in her mind, and she’d made up her mind to do it. After drinking a little of course.


	2. More than just my friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They've spent a long time apart, only to have to leave each other again. This time Asami isn't sure if she should leave without saying what she meant to ten years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ideally I'd like to make a sequel to this but I promise nothing seeing as how I have 3 other unfinished fics...

Asami wasn’t a regular drinker (she’d only been old enough to drink for about two years and didn’t much like the taste of alcohol) so she knew her tolerance was low and all it’d take was one or two beers before she’d feel loose enough to just spit it out.

She was actually going to do it.

Once dinner rolled around Asami was feeling even more confident in her intentions. Korra’s father was still at work, and her mom took her plate up to her office to continue working through the night.

It was just her and Korra, alone in her room with their plates on their laps as they sat on the couch in her room watching TV as they ate.

“So hey, you don’t mind me asking, but…are you here because of the whole Cabbage Corp thing? I saw on the news something about some lady selling company secrets or something; I wasn’t really paying much attention. I mean I figure there must’ve been a pretty big reason for you to come all the way back home. I mean, unless you’d come back before and I never knew…”

“No! No I never came back before now. I would’ve contacted you. Somehow.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Asami wondered if there was a note of bitterness in Korra’s voice just then or if it was something she was projecting. But to be fair if Korra did have any resentful feelings about their lack of contact Asami couldn’t really blame her (even if falling out of touch is a two-way street).

“I did want to call you more often – I know I should have –“

“No, don’t. It’s fine, we were both busy. Shit happens. And I kinda wondered if you not calling had anything to do with the last time we hung out” Korra said, pushing her food around her plate. It was almost cute how transparent she was being; it was clear she did feel bad about their lack of contact but didn’t want to make it seem like it.

“After a few months went by it just felt…like it’d be weird if I called you, if that made any sense. I wondered if maybe you were mad at me for not calling so I didn’t know what I could say when I finally did call. It was dumb, I know.”

Korra nodded vaguely before finishing her food, looking only at her plate or the TV. 

“I’m sorry Korra, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I guess I was just too wrapped up in my own thing.”  
“Don’t worry about it. I could’ve tried harder too. That kind of thing just happens when people move…and by the way, why are you in town again? Is it not the Cabbage Corp stuff? It seems pretty bad.”

“What? No I’m not here because of that, I…oh, no, I never told you. Of course you wouldn’t know.”

Asami set her plate aside on the coffee table in front of them sighing slightly. She was having such a good day she didn’t want to “ruin” it by bringing up everything that’d happened.

“Do you think I could get a beer?” she asked, almost wanting to smile at the look of concern written across Korra’s face.

“It’d be a little easier to talk about if I’m a little buzzed.”

“Yeah sure! Definitely, I’ll get one for me too. Are you okay though, we don’t have to talk about it if it’s gonna be weird. I don’t want to ruin the night for you.”

“It’s fine. I think It’d be good for me to talk to someone about it anyway. Thanks.”

As Korra hopped over the back of the couch to the mini fridge Asami thought again about the two of them alone together on that island so many years ago, trying to recall the exact words they’d said, but of course it was impossible. The general memory was there; the way she felt that night, the way everything looked, and the sensation of Korra’s hand in hers, but nothing “bad” was coming to light.

When Korra came back with their beers Asami finished her plate before getting into everything. She wasn’t really sure the “right” way to bring up her mother’s illness and subsequent death. Maybe it’d be too heavy to bring up the first night she’s back in contact with Korra.

“It, uh...well my mom started getting really sick. At first she tried to just ride it out, take some time off work and rest, but the cold bottle in her hands felt like an anchor as she bit her lip and tried to separate herself from the sharp emotions of recanting everything that’d happened in the past year. It was hard.

“But what?” Korra asked quietly, looking at Asami intently. 

“She had a pretty bad respiratory infection. By the time we got to the hospital for some reason there was nothing they could do? I mean, nothing was working and she was just getting weaker and weaker and then…she died. Tuesday morning before breakfast she was dead, just like that.”

“Holy shit. Asami, I’m so sorry, I had no clue! When did this happen, was this recently?”

“Almost two months ago.”

Despite her willing herself not too the tears were already welling up in her eyes and she was already recalling in far too vivid memory the sight of her mother, how she looked when she passed away, like she was just sleeping and would wake up again. 

And then the image of her father in profile, looking out over the ocean with a stony face as he recalled cheating with another woman for years.

She spoke with Korra about how her father never called, never wrote, and only went as far as sending a fat check and a card with “my condolences” hastily scribbled on it. Through sips of beer she recalled everything she had to take upon herself to look strong for her mother has she was getting sicker and sicker, and how every day that passed Asami wondered more and more if her father would at least show up unannounced or if he really was going to stay gone.

“Turns out he stayed gone” she said, swishing her beer around in the bottle before taking another small sip. It was gross stuff but she was already feeling a bit of a buzz, which helped loosen her tongue.

“He didn’t go to the funeral either. Said he was busy with work things.”

“ _What?_ Are you serious?”

“Yup. Old coworkers of hers, old friends from school she hadn’t seen in years, even our neighbors and other people who barely knew her showed up. But not him.”

“I can’t believe it. I mean I know they were divorced, but man…thats so fucked.”

“Yup! Like he didn’t even care at all. Oh! Oh and the kicker – get this – he told me yesterday morning after dragging me out of bed that he’d been cheating on my mom. For years probably. With his secretary of all people.”

“ _What!_ What the hell! Why did he tell you this?”

“I dunno. Probably was stewing in guilt so he wanted to tell me to “forgive him” or something. I don’t know. I don’t really care, either.”

“What a dick” Korra said sharply before taking a big swig of her beer, then almost chocking on it.

“My bad I don’t mean – I’m not trying to be rude or anything –“

“Nothing to feel bad about at all” Asami said before finishing what was left of her bottle, “he is a dick. I can’t even stand to look at him now. Never showing up when my mom was dying was bad enough, but to find out he was schmoozing with his secretary of all people…I really don’t think he ever cared about her at all. And I wonder if he cares about me.”

“Asami…I don’t think –“

“I don’t really want to talk about this anymore” Asami finished quickly, sitting up to get another beer and some water. “It’s getting later and I don’t have much time to hang left. I’d rather have fun. You want another beer too?”

“Uh…sure. Just one more.”

Once Asami returned with their beers the atmosphere was decidedly awkward. A few times they’d both try to speak and interrupt each other, only to fall silent again and flip through channels, sipping their drinks.

“Sorry if I made it weird” Asami said finally, turning to face Korra, “I just haven’t really talked to anyone about this stuff.”

“Oh no it’s not weird at all; I don’t really know how to uh…respectfully change the topic. I really am sorry about your mom Asami. She was really cool. I remember watching her teach you how to ride a bike. You were so bad at it…”

Another memory Asami had somehow forgotten until then.

She remembered being so jealous of Korra the day she rode her bike to Asami’s house, showing off how well she could ride when Asami herself still couldn’t stay on for more than a few seconds.

Korra had tried to teach her how to ride by herself, which didn’t get more results than a few scraped knees and palms for Asami.  
She was pretty sure the two of them had been at it for at least an hour before Asami’s mom came back home from work to see what must’ve looked like Korra pushing her straight into a nearby bush. 

So funny how after so many years of forgetting something how it could be recalled so clearly; she could almost feel the sunlight on her bare arms and the sting of her elbows after she’d wiped out for the tenth time. She could almost hear her mother’s voice behind her as she gripped the bike and told her to pedal, and keep pedaling even when she let go. 

“Yeah. That was fun.”

Asami looked over at Korra and saw her smiling broadly at her, head tilted slightly to the side. Not so unlike how she used to smile at her before.

“So you still bike riding these days miss Sato? Or are those youthful days behind you now?”

“First of all, my youthful days haven’t gone anywhere – I’m only a year older than you! And I’ve been known to ride a bike or two. I have a motorcycle license now.”

“WHAT? No way. I don’t believe it.”

“What’s not to believe?” Asami asked playfully, tossing her hair back behind her shoulders, “you can’t see me zipping through traffic on a motorcycle?”

Taking another drink Korra laughed a bit and shook her head.  
“It’s not that I can’t picture it per say. I’d imagine you’d look pretty great in riding gear. All I’m saying is last time I saw you on a regular bike you were wobbly as hell and had to stop constantly.”

“I wasn’t that wobbly.”

“Are you kidding right now? Really? You were so wobbly. It was cute to see your face, super concentrating on not crashing for a whole two minutes.”

“Well I’ve gotten better” Asami said matter-of-factly, “too bad you can’t see me in action.”

This, this was better. No more uncomfortable silences, no more awkward half-started conversations.

She really didn’t want this night to end.

“Oh hey” Korra said suddenly, turning to face Asami with shining eyes “let’s make a blanket fort! Like we used to! It’ll be fun!”

An unexpected burst of laughter escaped Asami’s lips before she had the chance to hold back – as soon as the words left Korra’s mouth Asami remembered the last time Korra had said almost the exact same thing years ago – “it’ll be fun”.  
They were in middle school, she couldn’t remember the year exactly but it was around that time, when Korra had the idea to make her entire living room into a huge blanket fort. She and Asami spent forever sketching out what it was going to (supposed to) look like, arranging furniture and taking blankets from all over the house, including the blankets off her parents bed.

For the first few glorious minutes it was all fine – they hadn’t managed to get the entire living room blanket-forted, but it was as close as they were going to get with what they had.  
It was going to be a whole big thing, them spending the day before her parents got back from their date in the living room fort, doing pretty much the same thing they always did but this time in a room-sized blanket fort.

What they hadn’t factored in was one of the blankets Korra was using was far older than she knew, and in way worse shape than she’d even imagined, and it tore straight down the middle and collapsed down on top of them, taking with it the old bookshelf it was weighted on.

It all happened so fast; the dull sound of tearing fabric before getting almost crushed under a bookshelf that was probably far too top heavy to be tilting over so easily.

Neither of them were badly hurt, just a lot of shock and bruises, but there was no way the two of them could push the bookshelf back up before Korra’s parents got back home. As the two of them scrambled to think of what to say (Korra as a kid had gotten multiple talking-tos about climbing on furniture) her parents walked through the front door, faces wrought with confusion.

As it turned out the bookcase wasn’t much of a big deal – it wasn’t damaged at all and the only trouble was putting everything back in it. The issue was the old blanket that was now raggedly torn in two was something of an heirloom from Korra’s dad’s side of the family, passed down six generations (or something like that).

Korra was grounded for…well Asami couldn’t remember exactly how long she was grounded, but at that age it felt like years.

It actually was a pretty fun night though.

This time around they had a smaller-scale vision, just some pillows on the floor in front of the couch with two sheets extended from the top of the tube tv over to the top of the couch, weighted down with some books she grabbed from upstairs.

“Not much, but no chance of injury this time” Korra said, sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Asami. “As long as we remember not to stand up in it. We’ll just crawl out through the sides if we need to.”

The rest of the night went…well, perfect. They spoke for a bit about school and what the engineering program Asami was enrolled in was like (daunting, but fun; she wasn’t particularly close with anyone in her classes) and how Korra was doing with her work at the fish market downtown. Apparently she’d finished her core classes at the local community college and was taking time off to work because she wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to do.

“Definitely not work at the fish market for much longer. It’s not bad work; I get paid really well and it’s close to home but I hate getting off work every day and reeking like fish.”

“I bet you don’t smell that bad.”

“Oh yeah? You think that because you haven’t smelled me after work. It’s a disaster; probably why I’m still single. The smell drives everyone away.”

 _Still single?_ Asami thought with a spark of interest. Convenient.

“How about you?” Korra asked evenly, moving to lay on her side, looking up at Asami, “do you have a boyfriend or anything? Girlfriend, if that’s more your speed?”

“I don’t have any real preference when it comes to boys or girls” Asami said, “and yeah, I’m single. I haven’t had any serious relationships, just a girlfriend in high school and I went out with a guy in my engineering program a few times but nothing really happened. To tell the truth he was a little boring.”

“Woah woah wait, you’ve only had one relationship ever?”

Asami wasn’t really sure what to make of Korra’s tone.

“Don’t tease me” she replied, feeling her face flush a bit, “I just haven’t met anyone else that I’ve ever been interested in.”

“I wasn’t trying to tease you” Korra said evenly, “I just figured you’d have people lining up to date you. I mean you’re – you know.”

“Know what?”

“Oh c’mon” Korra chuffed, rolling over onto her back and folding her arms across her chest “you know what I mean. You’re super pretty, why wouldn’t you have a long list of people who want to date you.”

Shrugging lightly, Asami had to turn her head slightly and pretend to check her phone to hide her face.

She was well aware of how she looked; it wasn’t as if no one else had ever told her as much (especially the over-eager boys from high school who thought tossing enough compliments to her would make her want to date them), but it was just…different, hearing it from Korra.

“Well you’re not too bad yourself” Asami said finally, trying to will the blush off her cheeks.  
“Aw, you mean it?” Korra said playfully, looking up at her from her position on the floor. “I had no idea you – oh shit, hold on…”

Sitting up and crawling out of the blanket fort, Korra pulled her vibrating phone out of her pocket and mentioned it was her mom. “Why’s she calling me…Yeah, hey mom, what’s up” she said as she put her mom on speaker.  
“Hey Korra, I didn’t want to disturb you two and get in the way of your little catch up session. But it’s getting late and we’re getting up early to fly out to see your uncle and cousins tomorrow, so you two should wrap it up.”

 _“What?_ Ah, no, I thought you said I didn’t have to go!”

Korra was pretty visibly disappointed, and from what Asami remembered of her cousins she couldn’t really blame her. She didn’t have any solid memory of Korra’s uncle; she’d only met him once, but there were a handful of times her cousins would spend the night at her house and they were…a little off.

They were both creepy but her girl cousin (Asami couldn’t remember her name, something with an E) was the worst; she was pushy and condescending to the point of being unbearable to be around. Amusedly she wondered what the two of them were like after all the years that’d passed...and easily came to the conclusion she really didn’t want to know.

“Korra of course you have to go, it’s been years since you’ve come with us to visit them and at this point it’s getting a little rude. Your cousins ask about you all the time, they feel like you’re avoiding them.”

Korra instantly turned to look at Asami, eyebrows raised, mouthing the words wonder why.

“Look Korra, just be ready to send Asami home. Your dad can drive her home if you had any of those beers in your fridge, which I’m guessing you did.”

“Yeah.”

“Alright then. Come upstairs soon, we don’t want to you staying up forever and refusing to get up in the morning.”

“Mom! Okay, jeez!”

Korra hung up rather bluntly and ran her fingers through her hair, looking a little frustrated. 

“I didn’t know it was so late…we’ve been hanging out all day but it felt like a few hours. Damn.”

Korra looked at Asami with an expression so cute she couldn't stand it. That "I don't want you to leave" face she'd seen so many years ago on that tiny little island the night before Asami and her mother picked up and moved away. 

Without thinking Asami exited the blanket fort and closed the distance between them, gently wrapping Korra in another hug, giving her a bit of a squeeze.

Humming contentedly, Korra hugged her back, burying her face in Asami's shoulder.  
She didn't want to go home. She didn't want to go from this moment with Korra back to that house and to her father. She didn't want to fly back to college and leave Korra behind again. 

"You have to give me your number" Korra's muffle voice said sternly, "and we have to stay in contact this time. I already miss you." 

_I already miss you._

"Duh. Of course I'll give you my number. Of course we'll keep in touch. Every day." 

_I already miss you._

The words kept repeating over and over again in her mind and Asami didn't know what to do between feeling like her heart was glowing and wanting to cry. They stayed together like that for a moment more before they both pulled away, sniffling and rubbing their eyes. It was surreal, almost, how similar Asami felt then compared to how she felt a decade ago saying her goodbyes to Korra in the final hours before moving away. 

Back then she knew she had a crush on Korra, but wasn't even really considering telling her or acting on it because all she could think about was the fact that she was practically loosing her best friend. Now that crush she thought she'd gotten over had so quickly reared its head when she was once again about to leave Korra's life. 

There was that hesitation, that desire to let it slip that she had feelings a little more than friendship. To be honest Asami didn't even think it was much of a secret, and she was fairly certain Korra had the same feelings. But its one thing to think that and another to actually make that first move, and Asami was scared.  
On the off chance she was wrong and misreading Korra's actions it'd be too embarrassing to live with. 

So she said nothing. 

Clearing her throat and turning around, Korra headed up the stairs and opened the door. "C'mon. I'm guessing you need that ride home."  


* * *

  
  
Asami loved living so close to the beach. She loved the sound of the waves at night, the salty ocean smell, even the squawks of the seagulls in the early morning. She’d grown up all her life walking the beaches in the evening with her mother, picking up shells and taking pictures of the little crabs they saw, and sometimes jellyfish.

Being out on her father’s boat was fun, but it’d been a long time since she had the chance to.  
The last time the two of them had gone out on the water was about a year before her parents had divorced, and the usual relaxed atmosphere was nowhere to be found. Her dad was mostly quiet, and even when he did speak to Asami it felt…weird.

Like he didn’t want to even be there, or if he was thinking about something else. 

So yeah, going out on the water was fine and all but she did really prefer the beach. Less uncomfortable memories.

“Here, grab this and I’ll light it for you” Korra said as she sat down on the slightly damp ground next to Asami, holding out the end of a sparkler in one hand, a matching sparkler and chrome zippo lighter in her other hand.

“Isn’t that your dad’s?” Asami asked, gesturing at the lighter as she took her sparkler. “He’s gonna be mad when he looks for it and finds it missing.”

“He won’t know. I’ll put it back when he picks us up later.”

“He always knows. He knew when you took his fancy hunting knife and you only had it for a few minutes.”

“Okay I’ll give you that, but I don’t know how he found out so quick. Some built-in dad feature I guess.”

Korra used the lighter to light her sparkler, then leaned over to light Asami’s.

Asami almost had a mind to ask Korra where exactly she’d gotten these as the only place she’d ever seen sparklers sold was at the fireworks stand that came in every summer, and it was far from summer.

She was curious, but it didn’t really matter – she was more focused on stretching out what little time they had left to see each other than think about how Korra came across some sparklers.

It was late-ish, maybe about six o’clock, and the sky was starting to show signs of growing darker by the minute. They had maybe an hour, hour and a half to stay out on the island before using the rental boat to row back to the shore, which was no more than five minutes away. If it got too dark they could just hang out on the island till Korra’s dad came to get them(even though the little island was close to the shore they both knew well enough not to risk getting out on the water in the black of night with an old rented rowboat).

It was an option, but not necessarily one Asami wanted to take, as the last time that particular scenario had happened Korra’s dad looked less than happy to have to pay for a second rental.

“So how long do you think you and your mom are going to be gone for?” Korra asked as she adjusted the towel they were sitting on, holding her sparkler out in front of herself.

Asami paused before answering, not even wanting to say out loud what she knew was the truth. Her mother had gotten a new job with some real estate firm pretty far away, and even though it was just a temporary setup she knew all bets lay with her mother just finding another job in the area rather than moving all the way back to the coast.

When she’d asked her mother about the possibility of moving back she didn’t say it was out of the question, but Asami had the feeling her mother didn’t want to hurt her feelings by giving a flat-out “no”.

“I…I don’t think we’re going to be coming back anytime soon.”

“…Oh.”

The two of them sat in silence for a bit, watching the last bit of their sparklers fizzle out.  
The mood wasn't exactly horrible but it definitely wasn't the mood Asami had been hoping for. This was her last night in town, in that part of the country - and she didn't know if she'd ever see Korra again. She wanted their last day together to be fun, to jam pack as many good memories that her mental suitcase would allow. 

Instead it felt almost hollow -they did hang out all day from the crack of dawn onward, but the looming _"all this will be over tonight so enjoy it while you can"_ feeling hung over everything like a cloud. 

There wasn't enough time in the day to say goodbye to Korra. 

"Do you think you guys will come back sometimes to visit your dad? Maybe a little later on or something?" Korra said suddenly, voice slightly quivering. "Because, you know, even if your parents are fighting now doesn't mean it couldn't get better later. Then maybe you guys will visit him. And visit me." 

Asami was unable to find the words to say. Her parents almost never fought in front of her - the most she'd seen was a heated argument that had ended the moment she stepped in the room - but she knew well enough that the situation wasn't one that was going to get better with time.

All she'd been told was that the two of them still loved her and still cared about each other, but not in the same way and that it was for the best for her and her mother to move out of town. Her mother was hurt, and her father had become a bit of a recluse, avoiding his soon-to-be ex wife and only ever really interacting with Asami when she wasn't around.  
They wouldn't even look at each other without reason. The chances of visiting him like nothing was wrong were slim to none. 

"I don't know...I guess..." 

The chill in the air seemed deeper than ever, and it was starting to get dark. 

Time was running out. 

Asami rested her head on Korra's shoulder, pulling her into a half-hug, not sure what else to say. So many thoughts were swirling around in her head - everything about her life was going to change, once the sun set and came back up. Even though things were tense and the two of them were never really very close, Asami was going to miss living with her father and having him around every day. She was going to miss her home, and the beach, and all her friends. She wasn't necessarily scared by the move - she'd have her mother with her - but going through all this change without Korra just felt sad. 

Alien. 

The two of them had been friends ever since they were little kids; it had always been them together through everything. 

And time was running out. 

Looking out at the boats in the distance Asami remembered with a quick tinge of regret that she hadn't ever gotten to take Korra out on the boat. Korra wanted to for a while now, and would always bring it up to Asami that they should go out on a boat trip. Her mother didn't like sailing (seasickness) and her father had been so busy with work the past year or so that he just kept saying he'd take the girls out some other time, but that never happened. 

Asami always assumed that later on when work wasn't so busy, maybe in a few months, he'd make the time. He loved sailing, after all, and used to take Asami out on the water with him when she was a kid, so of course any excuse to fire up the boat would be good enough for him. But rime ran out before the divorce. 

"You're more than just my friend you know" Korra said suddenly, in a very quiet, serious voice. "You're like...family to me. And I love you." 

The last three words opened the floodgate and instantly Asami was crying. It was a culmination of things, definitely, and once the first few tears fell there was no stopping it.

"What...hey! What's wrong?" Korra asked, moving to life up Asami's tear stained face. "Something I said?" she asked sheepishly, half smiling and using the back of her hand to wipe Asami's cheek. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel bad." 

"It's not you!" Asami sniffled, rubbing her eyes, "I don't want to move so far away! This sucks! And...I'm gonna miss you so much Korra. I -" 

Time was running out. 

"I...I feel the same way you do. We're family."

Smiling, Korra pulled Asami into another hug, tears building up in her own eyes. The evening had gone from chilly to downright cold, and the sun was setting. 

No time left.

 

 

* * *

 

One day went by. Then two.

Asami and her father were on the best terms they’d been for the entire week, which wasn’t much to talk about but it was something. She could at least humor him with insipid small talk until he took the hint and left her alone or she made the excuse of going to bed early. 

But it was hard to think much about her father when she couldn’t stop thinking about Korra. They’d only gotten to see each other once and Asami was leaving for the airport in a day. Korra had work to deal with and then a dinner with her parents and her father’s boss which she couldn’t skip out on and Asami couldn’t help but feel restless at the fact that she was about to leave Korra again.

_We only hung out once. I shouldn’t make a big deal out of it. I’ve already gone years without seeing her so this shouldn’t hurt at all. I have bigger things to worry about._

She thought this, but…still all that was on her mind was Korra. It felt like the old heartbreak from leaving when she was twelve was sliced right open, and this time she wasn’t leaving with her mother, she was leaving alone.

Asami did manage to text Korra a bit here and there, but it just wasn’t the same as seeing her in person. She missed her laugh already and she hadn’t even gone yet.

_We’ll get a chance to see each other tomorrow before I leave. My flight’s at three so there’s plenty of time. At least an hour or two._

That thought, _we’ll get another chance to see each other_ was the mantra that got Asami through the day. 

_Even if it’s only a half hour or whatever, we’ll still get to see each other again before I leave. And then I’ll tell her how I felt…feel, or whatever. Maybe. Hopefully._

As it turned out that “maybe, hopefully” was more of a “not happening.”

Around noon, when Asami was fully packed and wondering nervously why Korra hadn’t returned any of her texts, she received a call.

It was Korra, calling to say she was on break and that she’d be getting off work in two hours so they’d have some time to hang out before Asami had to leave.

“Two hours? Korra my flight is at three, by the time you’re getting off work I’m going to be on my way to the airport.”

“What? No way! I thought it was at like five!?”

“No, it’s three…this sucks. I really wanted to see you again.” Asami could tell her disappointment was clear; she’d spent the past three days wanting to see Korra again only to have her hopes dashed like they were nothing.

“Not fair” was putting it lightly.

“Shit. Fuck. I had something to give you before you left” Korra said, groaning in frustration. “I put it together the morning after we hung out before I left for work…”

“You can always just send it to me. You have my address.”

“No, I don’t want to send it I wanted to give it to you that’s the whole point” Korra responded quickly, clicking her tongue. “I’ll figure something out.”

“What? How?”

“I dunno, I’ll – I’ll ask my boss if I can get out early today. He’s an asshole so he’ll probably say no but it’s worth a shot. I’m really sorry Asami, I took this shift because I thought you were leaving later –“

“It’s fine” Asami lied, closing her eyes and exhaling deeply. 

“Don’t get in trouble with your boss. Just…I’ll call you when I’m at the airport. To say goodbye.”

“Alright, but I’m still gonna ask him. If I can’t make it, do you think you’d ever come visit again? Soon? I know things aren’t really going well with your dad, but…I don’t know, I kinda thought...maybe…” Korra trailed off, sighing loudly.

The uncertainty in her voice was just how Asami felt about visiting again. On the one hand she couldn’t see herself getting over or even readily accepting her father’s decision making, but she couldn’t just never speak to him again (especially seeing as how he was paying for her college).

The thought of visiting again had definitely crossed her mind, but her reasons for wanting to do so lay more with seeing Korra again than having to stay under the same roof as her father, which was far from appealing.

“I’m…I don’t know Korra, it’s a long distance –“

“Wait! Never mind, don’t answer that. Just wait till I see you. I’ll definitely get off work early, I swear!”

“…Alright Korra. See you soon then.”

“Yes, definitely! I gotta go, but keep your phone on you.”

Asami felt pretty crappy.

It shouldn’t have felt like such a big deal given what she’d been through and was still going through with her father, but it felt like the last kick in the ribs she could take.

The next hour or so dragged on spectacularly; Asami must’ve checked her phone at least a few dozen times, biting her lip in frustration at the lack of any communication from Korra. 

Which shouldn’t have felt as bad as it did.

By the time two o’clock rolled around she’d more or less forced herself to get over it. All she had to do was to put on a good face on the ride to the airport, and she could break down and mope on the plane if need be. But there was no point in holding onto hope when it was obvious nothing was going to pan out.

She stepped out of the house with her bags in tow, not quite sure if she’d say the trip back home was necessarily bad or good. As far as she was concerned the only good was seeing Korra again, but even that left her with a bittersweet aftertaste.

Maybe it would’ve been better not to have run into her at all, that way she’d have been able to avoid the crushing weight on her chest. But then she never would've been able to see how Korra looks now, how her bangs fall over her forehead...

It was worth it.

"Asami! I’ll be right out, I need to return a quick call, I wont take long” she heard her father yell from inside the house, “just give me one minute.”

“Dad my flight’s in an hour.”

“We’ll still make it! Just one minute Asami.”

She had to make a considerable effort to bite her tongue; the thought of having to stick around with her father even longer if she missed her flight was not ideal. She’d been holding back wanting to scream in his face for five days and she honestly didn’t know if she had it in her to go even longer without snapping.  
As she weighed the options of stepping back in the house and waiting for her father or just sitting out on the front steps she noticed a car driving swiftly up the street…. Korra’s car.

“What the hell” she murmured, standing up and leaving her bags on the steps. What was she doing? Did she manage to get off work?

Heart thumping, Asami left her bags on the porch and walked down the driveway, barely noticing the wide smile forming on her face. 

She couldn't believe Korra was showing up right before she had to leave. So of course she would. 

Korra hastily (poorly) pulled her car up to the curb and climbed out of her car, clearly winded and doubled over.  
"Korra? What's going on, are you okay -"  
"Sorry -" Korra gasped, bracing herself against the car and clearing her throat, "sorry, no time. I'm supposed to be at work-" 

"What?" 

"It's cool, they totally won't even know I'm gone. For a bit. It's cool." 

Confused, Asami approached Korra, not able to help being amused that she ditched out on work to say goodbye. Of course she would. 

"Ok so like I said - no time- I totally ran out to my car so my boss wouldn't see me leaving."

"Korra, I don't want you to get in trouble just to come see me. I have your number now we can call -" Korra interrupted her, shaking her head and waving her hands, "Don't. It's worth it." 

As Korra opened her car door and reached for sometime on the passenger seat Asami turned away, part looking to see if her father was coming out of the house, partly trying to hide her faint blush from Korra. 

_It's worth it..._ you're _worth it..._

"Ok, here you go"Korra said firmly, pushing a small decorative bag in her hands, something that looked like it was re-used from a birthday party or something. "Just a goody bag my mom and I put together. It was some banana bread she made - she remembered how you used to like it - and some old pictures and stuff of us...and I put some CDs in there. I know no one has CDs anymore but it's just some stuff I've been listening to lately that I thought you'd like. There's other junk in there too, but you get the idea" Korra said quickly. 

"Korra...thank you, you didn't have to do this." 

"I know. But I wanted to." 

Just then Asami heard her front door open and close again as her father stepped outside. Time's run out again. 

"Asami I have your bags, lets go, you'll miss the flight" he called out to her in an exasperated tone she didn't at all appreciate when it was him who caused the wait in the first place. 

"I have to go" Asami said, moving to hug Korra one last time. "If I miss my flight and have to stay another night with him I'm going to explode."  
"I hear you" Korra said gently, squeezing her tight before pulling away. "Have a safe flight Asami. And don't be a stranger."  
"Never" Asami responded coyly, watching Korra get back into her car. She started up the engine, gave Asami one last big smile and a wave and quickly pulled away form the curb and headed away (going at least ten over the speed limit). 

_I hope her boss doesn't find out she left_ , Asami thought as she got into her dad's car and they headed towards the airport.  
It wasn't likely Korra would be able to ditch work unnoticed, but Asami kept her fingers crossed. She had the sneaking suspicion Korra wouldn't care if she got caught anyway. 

"Was that the girl...what's her name...your little friend from years ago?" her father asked as she opened up her gift bad and began to dig through it. "I remember her. She was always over in our house. How's she doing?"  
Absentmindedly, Asami said Korra was fine and they were just saying goodbye. She was honestly a little surprised he remembered her.

As she inspected the items (there was a _lot_ of banana bread, way more than she'd be able to get through) a tiny scrap of notebook paper fell out onto the floor.  
She almost crumpled it up to throw away before catching the tiny writing scrawled on one side of it, in Korra's barely legible text. 

_Hey. Idk if I'm going to work up the guts to say this to your face before you leave or if I'll even have the time to. But you're more than just my friend Asami. I love you._  
_I have forever now, ever since before you moved away. I thought about you so much while you were gone. Thought I'd gotten over it but seeing you again made me realize I'm not. I want us to be together and I think you do too? Idk. I might not even give this to you._  
_But even if all I do is write down my feelings I guess it's fine. I love you. Call me when you get back to school so we can talk. If you want to. Sorry about all the bread. My mom got a little too enthusiastic about it because me and my dad never eat the stuff._

Re-reading the note over and over again, Asami felt her heart beat so hard it felt like it was going to rip through her chest. 

Seriously?

_Seriously?_

Was this real? 

Dumbfounded, she folded the little piece of paper up and slipped it in her pocket to read again while she was on the plane. 

_You're more than just my friend. I love you..._

"Uh...dad?" 

"Hm?" 

"Later on, during the summer...I think I'll come back to visit again."


End file.
